EDITORIAL: USE THE UNO TO SOLVE ISSUES, NOT TERRORISM
Today, September 11, 2021, marks twenty years to the day following the tragic series of coordinated terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001: the first year of the George Walker Bush Presidency.
It later came out that, squarely behind the “9/11” attacks were 19 members of the al-Qaeda terrorist movement who hijacked four passenger aircraft in flight, crashing two of them into the World Trade Centre in New York City. The third aircraft was crashed into The Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, while the fourth crashed into a field near Shanksville in Pennsylvania.
All in all, this resulted in the deaths of 2,977 otherwise ‘innocent, hapless’ persons, and the untold destruction of assorted properties, including the twin towers of the World Trade Centre complex which were razed to the ground, and surrounding buildings.
Questions galore have arisen regarding the tragic 2001 events – including, for instance: whether or not al-Qaeda “was acting alone when its suicidal pilots steered the four hijacked airliners into the icons of US economic, political and military power...”
Founded in 1988 by Osama bin Laden and several other Arab volunteers during the Soviet/Afghan War in the 1980s, Al-Qaeda is a militant Sunni Islamist multinational organisation that is widely regarded as a terrorist group.
What with one thing leading to another, sitting US President Joe Biden has finally ordered the Justice Department to “review – and, possibly, release – remaining secret government documents about 9/11 that have been withheld for 20 years on the grounds that they could endanger sensitive US national security goals.”
Be that as it may, the nagging question remains: why turn to terrorism ostensibly to find solutions to international socio-econo-politi-cultural differences when the UN was purposefully established in 1945 with “the central mission of maintaining international peace and security?”
Why, indeed? Instead of creating Al-Qaeda to oppose the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, for instance: why didn’t the militants appeal to the UN for peaceful interventions? Why not, indeed?
WISHING OUR CLUBS GODSPEED
Four Tanzanian football clubs start preparing for the Continental Club Champions Groups Stages today and tomorrow at different venues.
Zanzibar’s KMKM play Al Ittihad of Libya at the Amaan Stadium in the African Champions League today, while Young Africans (Yanga), Azam FC and Mafunzo will be in action tomorrow.
Yanga will face Rivers United of Nigeria at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam. In the Confederation Cup Championship, Azam FC takes on Horseed of Somalia, while Mafunzo will be up against Interclube of Angola.
Apart from these four, Simba Sports Club (Simba) will play in the second preliminary rounds of the African Champions League, starting against either Jwaneng Galaxy of Botswana or DFC Beme Arronoissement of the Central African Republic on October 15 or 16. The clubs’ players have to bear in mind the fact that there is no such thing as ‘an easy match’ in such competitions – and, consequently, they must try hard to do their best and win their encounters.
The players must also remember that no Tanzanian club has ever reached the semi-finals stages of the Championships – let alone win the trophies – despite the country participating in the Championships year in, year out. They are, therefore, duty-and-honour-bound to win the Championships this time round, we emphatically say – and wish them Godspeed
